White House says US president, Israeli PM won't be meeting over 'conflicting schedules' but reports claim Obama will be guest on late show instead

Ynet|Published: 09.12.12 , 17:11

How did US President Barack Obama
find the time to meet with David Letterman on the exact day he announced that his tight schedule would not allow him to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

According to a report in the National Journal Obama will be a guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman” during a trip to New York on September 18 – the exact time he could have met with Netanyahu who will be visiting New York for the UN General Assembly.

Earlier on Tuesday, the White House said the meeting would not be possible over the two leader's conflicting schedules. But later the white house denied reports
that Obama had refused to meet Netanyahu in New York on the sidelines of the UN's General Assembly

"Contrary to reports in the press, there was never a request for Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet with President Obama in Washington, nor was a request for a meeting ever denied," the statement said.

Letterman is a fan of the US president, often sparing him from his stinging monologues, preferring to his opponents especially Mitt Romney and former US President George W. Bush.

The guest appearance next week will be Obama's second during his term in office. In total the US president visited the show five times and was the first president in office to be a guest on the late show.